Make Room is pleased to announce the debut participation of EXPO Chicago with a solo presentation of Cathleen Clarke. Drawing inspiration from vintage photographs of ballet performers, Clarke has crafted a new body of work that explores themes of movement, intimacy, and self-expression through the human form.
Across Clarkes’ works, birds emerge as a central motif, symbolizing the desire for freedom and transcendence beyond our physical limitations. In this new body of work, she intertwines the imagery of birds and the concept of flight to evoke a sense of longing for freedom and transcendence. Additionally, a recurring theme in Clarke’s practice is change and transformation.
As viewers engage with her paintings, they are invited to take some time for each painting and witness figures evolving before their eyes, leaving behind cast shadows and transitioning between states of light and darkness, leaping higher or descending down to earth.
Reflecting on her creative process, Clarke says, “Though bound to the earth as humans, we can find liberation through movement.” Her works capture the essence of this sentiment, offering viewers an exploration of the human body’s expression for freedom.
Cathleen Clarke (b. 1988, Chicago, IL) received a BFA from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA. Solo exhibitions include The Night Grows Long, Margot Samel, New York, NY (2024); Focus: Cathleen Clarke, Workplace, London (2023); Hungry Soul, Nathalie Karg Gallery, New York, NY (2022); Whatever Hour You Woke There Was a Door Shutting, Fou Gallery,
Brooklyn, NY (2021) Selected group exhibitions include The Blue Hour, Workplace, London; Maskenfreiheit, Margot Samel, New York, NY (2023); BREATHLESS!, Myriam Chair Gallery, Paris, France (2023); Evening Shadow, Make Room, Los Angeles, CA (2023); Holiday Capsule, Platform Art, (2022); Vanitas, Nathalie Karg Gallery, New York, NY (2021); tHP: Beacon, Satellite Art Club, Brooklyn, NY (2022); Flat Files Program, Collar Works, Troy, NY (2022); Speculative Interiors, NARS Foundation, New York (2020); Giddy & Dreadful, SK Art, New York, NY (2019); and The Body Responds By Lying Down, NARS Foundation, Brooklyn, NY (2019).